Vampiral Love
by AnnaManga
Summary: What would happen to a couple even more sexually-driven that Rosalie and Emmett? And are vampire couples really faithful to each other forever...?
1. The Forest

Katherine pounced on the unsuspecting doe a few metres in front of her. After drinking it dry and pushing the limp carcass off of her skirt and brushing herself down, she looked around for Quentin, the centre of her existence. The word 'love' did not do what Katherine and Quentin felt for each other justice. The tidal wave of emotion that swept over each one at the slightest look, touch, caress, was phenomonal. They would quite liked to have joined a coven, but so far all the groups they'd considered joining had not been able to put up with their irresistable, obvious, desperate need for the other and their love.

Quentin was a mile or so away, drinking the blood of a mountain lion, and Katherine began to run towards him. By the time she'd got there, ten seconds later, he was finished, and dumping the body, with not a mark, scratch or stain on him or his clothes, he turned towards her. His arms went out and she ran into them. They were the perfect height, size and shape for each other, it was as if the Creator had modelled them like jigsaw pieces, destined to fit together forever. She buried her head in his chest before reaching up and around to grab his head and push it down so his mouth met hers, closing her eyes as she did so. Their mouths opened in sychronisation, their tongues touching gently. She wound her hands around his neck and was happy. His hands moved from her waist, round to the front, and under her tight t-shirt. She gave in to his touch, moving her head up and pulling his head towards her bared, white, marble throat. His hands moved up to her chest, and then tore her t-shirt suddenly away from her, and her bra following soon after. They tumbled to the ground of the dwelling and knew no more.

When she looked up, it was dark around her. As she lay back, naked, against the grassy floor of the clearing, her head against Quentin's shoulder. She sighed contentedly.

Esme ran through the forest as fast as her legs could take her. It couldn't be true. She could hear someone, Alice she thought, start after and then decide against it and stop and turn once again in the opposite direction. She knew it was cowardly, running away, but couldn't face them all, with their sympathy and secrets. Of course she loved them, she loved them more than her whole existence. He wouldn't...he loved her. She'd thought, she'd said, he'd said...She shook her head hard, as if to rid herself of the thought. She jumped over the river and came to a juddering halt on the other side and threw herself on the ground, drawing her knees up to her chest and burying her head in her arms. Her body shook with continuous, tearless, emotional sobs. She rocked back and forth in her distress. After a few minutes of following this absurb routine, she heard a twig snap behind her and in one fluid second, her heartbreak – momentarily – forgotten, she turned, crouched and let a dangerous snarl rip from between her bared teeth. She saw it was two other, though unfamiliar, vampires and slowly rose up to stand. She nodded in acknowledgment. The female was stunning, she could compete with Rosalie, thought Esme, with her striking figure and hip-length hair, thick, curly, black hair. Her mate, the male, was also good-looking, of course, although he could not compete with his love.

'Hello. I am Esme, of the...Olympic Coven. Who are you?'

'We are Katherine and Quentin', said the male, gesturing as he introduced.'We are nomads. We are in search of a potential coven to consider, well, taking us in, as such. But so far it has been a challenge to say the least.'

'Oh? As far as I know any vampire coven I have met have been extremely friendly to passing nomads and other visitors. What seems to be their problem?'

Esme was sure that if the female had blood running then she would have blushed, and even the male seems slightly reluctant and embarrassed to answer truthfully. She frowned, confused.

The male answered after a pause. 'Katherine and I...well, we have some...difficulty controlling...well, controlling our desires'. He said the last word delicately, and looked downwards in embarrassment. Esme was forcibly reminded of Rose and Em. She smiled gently at them.

'Well, my..my, well, daughter and son are similar. They destroyed two houses I made for them with the well, fervour of their, um, sexual career.'

The couple seemed reassured, and Esme directed them towards the big house, where she could here her family talking in low voices. The couple disappeared into the trees and the crushing darkness crashed in on Esme again and her knees buckled and she collapsed onto the ground. After a minute or so of helpless shaking and soft moaning on the forest floor, she pulled herself together and got shakily to her feet. She looked back once more at the house that had been her home with the love of her life for a century. Then she turned and ran resolutely into the deep forest.


	2. Betrayal

Esme ran until she was in Canada. She ran, swam and flew to England, Europe. When she arrived there, she entered the nearest town. The smell and burn at the back of her throat were both now familiar enough to ignore, although still inconvenient. She was now completely cut off from the country of her birth, having chucked her mobile in the phone in the Atlantic after her family would not stop calling and texting her. She stuck mainly to the remote English countryside, not wanting anyone interrupting her thoughts. She was now calmer, although still smarting. She did not yet want to return. She was still trying to figure out why and how it had happened...

_Carlisle came in and closed the front door quietly. He seemed preoccupied and only responded hesitantly to Esme's hug. He quickly went upstairs to his study. Esme frowned. He had been like this for a week or so now, distant and thoughtful. She settled down next to Rosalie on the big white sofa, now thoughtful herself. Had she done something wrong? She couldn't think of anything. Then the whole family heard the unmistakeable sound of a car coming from the road onto the lane leading to the house. They couldn't hear a heartbeat, which only meant another vampire. They heard Carlisle pause upstairs, obviously hearing the same thing. The car parked and a high-heeled boot stepped out, followed by another. There were footsteps and a knock. Edward, being the fastest, got there first. A stunning looking female vampire stood on the threshold. She was tall and slim and obviously had an extremely good fashion sense. She had long, straight, white blond hair and her eyes were maroon. She had very strong facial features. Edward frowned and hissed quietly as he read her mind. He glanced at Carlisle with narrowed eyes. Carlisle had run down the stairs at the moment the door opened and was now standing at the foot of them. Then his eyes landed on Esme. He ran to her, put his hands on her upper arms and started dragging her to the back door._

'_Come on Esme, quick!'_

_Esme tugged my arms out of his grip. 'What? Why?' She still did not suspect anything._

_The woman glided into the room. _

'_Samantha, don't do this.' Carlisle whispered. Her eyes flashed angrily. Edward hissed as she stood up straight, obviously having made a decision. Esme looked at the stranger._

'_I have come here today to tell you all that Carlisle, here' she said, gesturing,' Is not the angel and model of goodness that you all think he is. Recently I met him while hunting. We met many more times, our relationship blossomed, and, shall we say, one thing...led to another'_

_Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Bella, Renesmee and Jacob all gasped and all either looked at Carlisle or Esme. Alice didn't look surprised; she had seen some betrayal of a sort. Esme was falling. As Samantha said some more things and then turned and made a dramatic exit, slamming the door behind her, but Esme neither saw nor heard anything. Carlisle was looking at the floor and he turned to her. Esme had frozen, her enormous brainpower still not enough to accept this. He hadn't... But everything in his expression said he had. His eyes were burning with guilt and pain._

'_Esme...'_

_Her head snapped up and looked at him for a second. She took a step back. He took one forward, his arms outstretched. Before anyone could say or do anything, she had fled silently, running as fast as her legs would permit._


	3. Introduction

Alice rushed in through the door, having run after Esme and then changed her mind.

"Vampires are approaching from the west. And quickly!" she announced.

Emmett stood quickly. What could vampires possibly want here? Ever since the huge gathering against the Volturi a few months ago, they had more or less been left alone, as they had wanted.

"How many?" Rosalie asked.

"Two, from the sounds of it. A male and his mate, I think."

"Well, we have no reason not to welcome them."

The whole family sprang into action. Alice nodded to herself, having not Seen any conflict. Edward concentrated, trying to hear the thoughts of the approaching couple. Samantha flounced out of the doors, received daggers from Rosalie, Bella and Renesmee. Carlisle sat down heavily on one of the white sofas, his head in his hands, having not seen to have heard any of the conversation. Everyone sat on the sofas except Alice who went to the stairs, sat and leant against the banister.

There was a knock at the door. Edward was relaxed, so they were obviously not hostile. Rosalie glided to the door and opened it.

"Hello. Who are you? Can we help you?"

A voice answered. "We were sent this way."

"Sent? Who sent you?"

"She didn't give her name. Beautiful. She had hair like caramel."

Carlisle's head came up out of his hands. The rest looked studiously at the floor, ceiling, anywhere except his face.

"And did she give a reason?" Rosalie, after a pause, carried on.

"Yes."

"Well come in a second."

The couple trooped in, holding hands. They looked around in admiration at the richly furnished room, with the glass wall, the grand staircase. Carlisle, obviously with a great effort, pulled himself together. He walked towards the couple, his hand outstretched.

"I am Carlisle Cullen. These are my children. Jasper and his wife Alice, Emmett and his wife Rosalie and Edward, his wife Bella and their daughter Renesmee." He introduced each with a gesture. The couple's eyes lingered on Renesmee for a second longer than the rest.

The woman answered, taking Carlisle's hand. "I am Katherine Nicholas, and this is my husband Quentin. We are nomads, though have been searching for a coven to join for years now. Unfortunately, we are rather hard to handle." She grinned wickedly. Her mate looked at the floor, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Why?" Carlisle asked.

"We find our...desires rather hard to control." Quentin said, obviously embarrassed. Alice, Renesmee and Edward grinned and directed knowing glances at Rosalie and Emmett. Carlisle did not seem to notice this. He talked to the vampires a bit more, and it was agreed that maybe they could stay on for a kind of trial. It wasn't as though the Cullens didn't have enough room. They seemed able to control themselves! It wasn't until later when they discovered what Katherine had meant.

The whole family except Carlisle was in the living room, Emmett and Jasper were watching some football match on telly, and Rosalie was reading. The absence of Esme, the mother figure, was all too palpable. Alice was arranging flowers, and Katherine got up to join her, and they chatted and laughed as they arranged the roses and pinks. Quentin walked behind her and brushed past her. The result was electric. The flower vase fell from Katherine's hand, as did the book Quentin was carrying. Alice quickly caught the vase and book and backed off from the couple. Katherine threw herself into Quentin's all too willing arms. Their shirts ripped under their strong fingers and their mouths seemed glued together. Edward cleared his throat loudly, as did Bella, but the lovers took no notice. They didn't even hear. They tumbled down onto the floor, each body shaping against the other. The family stood up as one, the men carefully avoiding their eyes. They all ran up the stairs or out of the back door before even more could be revealed that would be regretted afterwards.


	4. Carlisle Alone

POV Carlisle

3 months later.

"Going hunting, Carlisle!" Alice yelled from downstairs, although, of course, yelling wasn't really necessary, I would have heard if she whispered.

"Have fun!" I said quietly. I heard the house empty quickly, leaving me alone, yet again, with only the silence, my terrible, terrible guilt and no wife. We had given up ringing her. It was pointless. I had thought about searching for her, but she could be anywhere. It would be pointless. She wouldn't want to see me. I knew her well enough to know that.

If she would just let me explain...

No, Carlisle, I told myself, even if you explained then she wouldn't want to know. But I needed her. I wasn't myself without her. I was like part of me was missing, like she'd taken one of arms with her when she left. I lived with it day and night, the knowledge that I'd betrayed her. Not once, but twice. The rest of the family tried to continue as normal, I think Edward had read my mind and told them that I was torturing myself enough and their silent treatment wouldn't make much difference. But I could feel the disapproval radiating off them, especially Bella and Rosalie, whose husbands would never take it into their heads to even consider what I had done. Before, I would have ranked among them in the loyalty hierarchy. But not anymore.

I slumped forward and groaned in despair, putting my head on my arms. I could literally do nothing until Esme took it into her head to return to us, to her coven, her family, her life. To me. I was nothing without her. My work had reduced in quality. My relationship with my family had deteriorated. I had been a prize idiot and deserved to pay the price though, I thought.

Samantha had seduced me, simple as that. Yes, I have a will of my own, and yes, I should have known better. Much better. I had tried to deny my attraction to her for months, but she had ambushed me. That could have been explained, a one off, a mistake. But the second, third time? How could I explain that away? I needed serious forgiveness from my whole family if we were ever going to get past my infidelity. If we ever would. Vampires were immortal. Could I live forever without the centre of my life?


	5. Capture

Alice hummed quietly as she arranged yet another bunch of red roses from Jasper. Edward and Bella were entwined on one sofa, Rosalie and Emmett had gone for a weekend's hunting. Renesmee was out with Jacob and the other wolves. Carlisle was upstairs in his study, as he was a lot these days, alone with only his thoughts. Every so often Katherine would glance up at the ceiling from her seat. She whispered to Alice;

"Is Carlisle always this...secluded?"

Alice shook her head slowly.

"When Esme returns, things will be different" she said with a hollow confidence. Katherine leaned forward.

"How can you be certain?" she asked.

"How can you?" asked Bella.

Katherine smiled. "I have a gift for these things." Quentin smiled with her and rubbed her back affectionately.

"And what exactly does this gift entail?" asked Edward.

"I can sense the feelings of others, slightly like Jasper here, but I can also sense the thoughts that come with very strong emotions, such as angry, pain, happiness etc" Katherine explained.

"And you met Esme on the day she discovered about...it" Jasper said softly.

Katherine nodded slowly. "What was she thinking?" came a pained voice from the stairs. Carlisle stood there, looking, if that were possible, even paler than normal.

Katherine looked reluctant to reply. Edward read her conflicting thoughts.

"Tell him the truth, Kath" he said. Katherine looked up sharply and then remembered. She nodded.

"Your...wife....had no immediate plans to ever return here" she said. "But she was in shock, it could have been an errant thought, that tends to happen when one is experiencing pain and anger."

Carlisle looked even more like a broken man. His hopes for Esme's return lessened even more. What was she doing? Why was she not coming back to him?

*

Esme ran. She ran as fast as her strong legs could carry her. Her pursuers ran after her, just as fast. But she had always been the slowest in her family. After a hundred miles or so, she began to slow. Her hunters did not. They caught her and held her fast, not letting go however much she struggled and bit and kicked. They were four strong and robust vampires, with blood red eyes and sharp teeth. She suspected they had some connection with the Volturi. They picked her up easily and ran to a field about fifty miles away. They tossed her into a small plane waiting there, had jumped in a taken off before Esme could recover herself and jump. By the time she had fought her way to the window they were many feet above the ground and to jump would be suicidal. She was heartbroken, but not suicidal. She found a map in the back of the plane. It was a map of Europe. There was a red line from England to Italy. To Volterra. They were taking her to the Volturi.


	6. Volterra

Esme was manhandled through the door by her beefy captors. Aro stood waiting for her. Well, waiting. Esme didn't know if it was for her. Aro dealt with the guards first, leaving Esme to wait in suspense.

"You can go." Aro said with authority.

"Payment? You promised payment," said the beefiest and obviously the least intelligent of the quartet. Aro's eyes narrowed for a second. Then he gestured to a door on the left.

"In there. I think you will find sufficient payment." The guards guffawed stupidly and ran into the door, where Esme heard the cries of delight and the crunch of human bones. She shuddered delicately and Aro, of course, noticed.

"Still not a fan of our natural tastes, Mrs Cullen?"

"Esme will do, Aro. And no, I must confess I am not."

"Very well, Esme, to get to business, I have asked you to come here..."

"_Asked_ me? Are you mad? You have kidnapped and forced me to come here!"

"Whatever you like, you're here now. I have had you brought to me because my brothers and I were concerned for your whereabouts and state of mind."

"Right..."

"My spies in America report that the Cullen family is not as closely-knit as it once was, a few months ago. I must confess I was rather surprised to hear that you had abandoned you're coven."

"Were you? I didn't abandon them. They will be perfectly fine, as C-C-Carlisle will be with his new lady-friend." She had said his name.

"I am afraid that my spies have had nothing to report of a lady-friend in the equation." Aro said innocently. Just as he said this, the door opened once again and, to Esme's horror, who should walk in other than Samantha, the very vampire she was so anxious never to lay eyes on again.

Samantha looked beautiful and wild, her hair matted and her eyes unfocused. She had obviously just come back from a hunt. Her eyes landed on Esme and they narrowed ferociously.

"What in the name of God is _she _doing here?" she asked viciously.

"Esme is my guest. Manners, now, Samantha, my love." Aro said softly, evidently enjoying every second.

And suddenly Esme saw it all. Everything. She saw Carlisle, their love, Samantha, her family, her escape and she understood.

"Why did you feel the need to split up my family, Aro? I will tell you why. The Cullens are the biggest, strongest, most loving coven and you feel that undermines your authority and security. You felt the need to split us up. You sent this _bitch _here to get between me and my husband, the very couple who keep the rest together in one place." Esme shook her head. "That is _despicable_."

*

As Aro had had no official reason to hold her in the palace, Esme's departure was fairly smooth, apart from evils from Jane and daggers from Samantha. She ran down the hill and into Spain. She found a small deer and satiated herself. When her eyes were golden, she ran up into France. It had been six months now since she had been home. She thought it was about time she returned, to visit, she told herself. She would not see Carlisle, she decided. She would see the rest. Then she would return to England. Or maybe somewhere else! She bought a ticket to New York in the nearest airport and sighed. She was going home.


	7. Esme and Renesmee

The plane flew up and down with the turbulence and a pregnant woman in front of her groaned and retched into a paper bag. Esme looked away. She had never been able to stomach illness. And the sight of the woman pained her, as pregnant women always did. This was not the blissful return she had pictured. But then again, she thought as she leaned back in her seat and sighed, when did anything ever go the way she pictured that it would?

*

Esme stood outside Forks High School, slightly nervously. She was wearing jeans and a stunningly ugly red anorak, with the hood up and covering her pallor and hair. She was early, she knew she was, but she still stood and waited nervously, hoping that she wasn't wrong.

At exactly one minute past four, Renesmee came out of school, with a slight frown on her face. Since she had stopped developing and growing so quickly, she had been able to attend high school like normal children, although she wasn't, of course. Esme straightened up, her eyes bright. Nessie almost walked straight past Esme, due to her disguise. Then she saw her. Her eyes narrowed, then widened with shock and happiness. Dropping her bag, she ran straight into Esme's outstretched arms. Jacob, who came to pick Nessie up a few minutes later, saw the two women locked in each other's grip which no vampiral, human or wolf force could separate. Esme opened her eyes for a second and then outstretched one arm to Jacob too, for she suddenly realised she had missed him too. After a few minutes the three of the separated, with tears in Nessie's and Esme's eyes. Jacob wandered off towards his truck, leaving the two females to talk.

"How are you? How's everyone else? Are you all ok? How've you been without me?" Esme fired questions.

"I'm fine; everyone else is fine too, just missing you. Wait 'til they all see you again, they'll be so excited..." Nessie broke off when Esme sighed and disengaged herself. "What?"

"I'm not going to see the rest, Ness love. I can't face it." Nessie's face fell.

"But you have to! They will be so annoyed if they realise you were here and didn't come to see them" Nessie's face had never been so earnest.

Then Esme asked the most important question, to her. "How's Carlisle?"

"He's ok... I guess. He misses you too, a lot. More than any of the rest of us, I should say. More than us put together! He stays in his study most of the time now, apart from work." Esme nodded.

"Do you think, maybe, if I give you message, you could get them all to come and see me somewhere? One at a time? And not Carlisle, obviously, I know he'll want to come, but please ask him to respect my wishes. " Nessie nodded. "Ok."


	8. The Other End of the Woods

Renesmee POV

"She's not serious!" Alice whispered, Esme's note in her hand. The others all nodded, looking serious. "If Carlisle realised, he would never forgive us, or her, come to that!"

"I know, ok? But she doesn't want to see him. Can you really blame her?"

"If she only let him explain..."

"Explain? Would you? Really? If Jasper did that to you? I don't think she wants to be reasonable right now!" Alice flinched. I noticed, but I was annoyed. Why were they attacking _me_? I hadn't come up with the idea, had I? I knew it wasn't the ideal situation, but it was Carlisle's own fault. My respect for him had diminished somewhat. If he didn't like it, well, tough! I could see the sad expression on Dad's face as he read my mind.

"So are you going to go an' see her?" I demanded, still whispering. Edward and Emmett exchanged glances. We were at the other end of the wood, over the river, apparently out on a 'hunting' trip. Carlisle, Quentin and Katherine were at the house, but the rest; Mum and Dad, Rose and Emmett, Alice and Jasper, Jacob, were all in hurried discussion. Edward, reading the minds of the majority, answered for them.

"Yes. We all want to see her, see how she is. But we also feel guilty on Carlisle's behalf, 'because he is, to all intents and purposes, our father, although Esme, in the same way is our mother. Most of us just want everything to be back the way it was." There was a pause. Then Rosalie spoke the words none of us wanted to hear;

"That's not going to happen, though, is it?"


	9. On Top of the Hill

"Esme!" Rose's voice came from behind her. She whipped around. Edward, Alice and Rose were running over the hill. She spread her arms and three sharp cracks echoed against the hills as they ran into them. She fell over backwards and they all laughed as they scrambled around, trying to get up. Edward gave up and stretched out on his back. Rose lay on her front and started making a daisy chain. Alice sat cross-legged and looked at Esme expectantly.

"Well?" she demanded.

"Well what?" Esme said defensively.

"Where have you been, for a start? What have you been up to? Are you ok?"

"Well the long and short of it is, I went to England. Then I was kidnapped and taken to Volturi." She ignored the gasps and hurried questions. "Then I came back here. I missed all of you." She avoided the last question, which Alice picked up on. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"What did the Volturi want with you?" Rose asked.

"Aro wanted a good old gloat, basically. He's like that." Esme shrugged, like it was no big deal.

"Gloat? What about? What has he achieved by this?"

Esme looked determinedly at the blue sky "He...He employed that blonde bimbo to come here and...seduce..._him_." She still found his name hard to say. Edward sat up.

"_What_? Are you _serious_?" Esme nodded, suddenly finding her hands in her lap very interesting.

"So then, it wasn't totally his fault? He can't be blamed?" Edward said quietly.

Esme's head snapped up. "_Yes_! He _can _be blamed, of course he can! He should never have given into it! Should he? He should never have...He can't be...He...I...He..." Esme broke off and took a deep, steadying breath. Edward put his hands out to her.

"Sorry, Esme. I know how much he's hurt you, ok? I'm just trying to make the situation easier for you to forgive him, yeah?"

"You don't know how much he's hurt you, Edward. None of you do. Because Bella would _never_ do that to you. Neither would Jasper to you or Emmett to you." She said fiercely, gesturing as she spoke. "Up till recently I thought that Carlisle would never do that me, but, it turns out that I was wrong, doesn't it? And thanks, but no one can possibly make it easier for me to forgive him, Edward." She collapsed into Edward's arms and sobbed tearlessly into his chest.

A breeze blew through the trees towards them. Alice and Rosalie sat up. Edward sniffed. And groaned. The scent was less than one hundred metres away and it had been there for a while.

Carlisle.


	10. Slamming the Door

Carlisle POV

I slammed the door of my study behind me. It shook, and I prayed that it wouldn't fall out of the frame and add to my many woes. Mercifully, it didn't. I collapsed on my leather sofa and made a loud, squeaky farting noise as I went. I sighed. The house was empty, thank God.

But Esme, what was she doing here? How long had she been here without me knowing? Did the rest all know? Is that what they had been keeping from me? Was there anything else? I had never known emotional pain like this. Her words..! Is that what she really thought? I remembered Samantha arriving at the hospital, her being the only other vampire in the hospital, no heartbeat, and a beautiful one at that. She had been nice, friendly, funny, had been able to control her thirst almost as well as me. She felt like an equal. She seemed as devoted to her work as I was. We had both worked late, and, well, I had never felt such guilt as I did afterwards. I had kept to my study, praying that Edward wouldn't give the game away, mulling it over, knowing I should tell her but not quite being able to face doing so. Then it had been too late, and she had run.

I had not known that seeing her again would affect me in such a big way. She was even more beautiful than even my amazing memory remembered.

And the Volturi? Why had they taken her? The relief at learning they had not harmed her! I would have ripped them all limb from limb if they had invented a mad crime that she had committed and executed her for it. Then I would leave one alive so he could burn me. I would rather have one Volturi on this Earth than live alone with no Volturi but also with no Esme. At least she was alive, that's all I could say.

I had to see her, speak to her. But she didn't want to see me. I didn't care very much. But she didn't want to see me. I had to, _needed _to see her.


	11. Confrontation

After the others left, Esme stayed on the hill for a while, thinking. Carlisle had heard her. Why did that bother her so? What she had said was all true. She stretched out on her back, her legs crossed, and puzzled. Much as she tried to convince herself otherwise, she did not like the fact that he had been so close and she had not known it, seen him, talked to him, touched him. She loved the others and was happy she'd seen them, but her love for him was on a different plane, and would always be, even though she may not like to admit this to herself or anyone else. She heard a rustle and dismissed it, too caught up in her thoughts. When it came, she was totally unprepared;

"Esme..." it was the merest whisper, softest breath. She jumped out her skin none the less, whirling round and glaring at the intruder. Carlisle stood there, a few feet away, looking the picture of innocent. His blond hair was clean, his white skin without a blemish. He looked tired though. Even though his perfect face did not line, if he was a human he would have appeared to have aged twenty years. His eyes were miserable, dull and full of pain. His face was concerned. "Esme?"

"Carlisle." Her tone was measured, polite, curt even. She gave no indication that it really mattered to her whether Carlisle was there or not. This, if possible, hurt him more than anything else. He thought she looked stunning. He always did think so, but after two months of separation he saw her in a new light. It was like falling in love all over again. She was wearing a long maroon gypsy skirt, white vest top, grey cardigan, long black cloak. Her hair was loose over her shoulders, gold hoops through her ears; she was barefoot and had no make-up on her face.

"Where've you been?" It was the only thing he could think of to say.

"Europe. England, Italy. You know." She was being too civilised, she knew.

"Are you...okay?"

She looked at him, eyebrows raised.

"Am I okay? _Am I okay_?? Seriously? After everything that happened, after everything, that _you_, my friend, did! Am I okay? You must be joking!" She gestured as she shouted at him. And he took it. She didn't want him to stand there. She wanted him to fight back! Her anger and pain rose.

"So, is that skank still here?" She asked. He shook his head.

"Esme, love, she was never here!" She flared up.

"Don't call me that. Don't you ever call me that!"

"It's true! I have never regretted anything as much, my darling, never. I know I did wrong, and it was the most grievous mistake I have and will ever make! I never meant to hurt you. I love you, Esme!"

"You have a funny way of showing it!"

"I know you're angry and all, but if you'd let me explain..."

"Explain? I've heard all I need to, thank you! She told me more than enough!"

Now they were both shouting, their voices echoing across the moors.

"But it was all her doing, Esme!"

"Yeah, Carlisle, 'cause _you're _so helpless and weak!"

"I know...she was hired!"

"Don't you try and pin the whole blame on her. I know she was hired, but you did just as much wrong as she did!"

"Esme!"

"I will never forgive you Carlisle, not as long as I live!"

"You'll be waiting a long time then! I made you into what you are!"

"And I no longer want to be it! Not if it means I have to spend the rest of eternity pining after you, wondering why you chose another vampire after your wife! She had to be _blonde_, didn't she?"

He picked up on the word. "Pining?"

"_NO_!" she screeched.

And she leapt at him.


	12. Reunion

Jasper sprang from nowhere. There was a sharp, echoing crack as the two stone beings collided. Esme fell back into a crouch, snarling, her teeth bared. She was like a wild animal. Jasper was unnerved. He had never seen her like this. Her eyes were black as coal. And the whole time Carlisle stood there, refusing to defend himself. Rosalie emerged from the trees and stood beside Jasper.

"Esme?" she asked tentatively.

Esme slowly straightened up, still glowering. "I didn't know you were into eavesdropping too," she hissed, but her shaking voice betrayed her emotion. She didn't want this! Didn't want this... this chasm, this canyon that was ripping her treasured family apart.

Rose shook her head, her lips slightly parted in earnestness as she gazed at Esme, holding her eyes. "We weren't listening, is swear – Alice told us to come find you before..."

She looked uncertainly at Jasper, her usual frankness compromised with uncertainty.

"Before you killed each other," he said frankly.

Esme shuddered, but her mouth framed the words, "don't be ridiculous."

Rosalie nodded hesitantly. "You would have done," she whispered. "Alice saw it, I swear. Jasper had to stop you, Esme – he had no choice! Carlisle wasn't going to fight you, and you were so blinded with... well."

"Did I hurt you?" Jasper's voice was cautious as he addressed his mother. She turned away and rubbed at her eyes, clearly trying to quietly erase the burning in them – but everyone could hear her choking breaths.

"You shouldn't have stopped her." Carlisle's voice was quiet, but full of overriding authority. The little gathering froze, digesting his words as they realised that sincerity saturated every word.

"_What?_" Rosalie's expression was absolutely aghast as her eyes flew between her parents. "We should have let her... what are you... you meant... how could you even... talk about being... I just don't..."

Carlisle's face was softly sympathetic as he watched Rose struggle internally – and the reasoning behind her assumption was only to be expected. Emmett, the centre of her universe, would never lay a finger on her with the intention of harming her, and she would rather die a thousand deaths than watch him go through any sort of pain again – after all these years, she still carried the memory of his scrunched up, tortured, burning face with her like the heaviest of burdens. That he'd forgiven her the moment he opened his eyes was never an issue – he'd suffered because of her, and that pain was near damn unbearable, even now. So for Carlisle to _want _Esme to kill him with the knowledge that _it_ would kill _her _was incomprehensible for her. Jasper crossed silently to his sister and took her hand, squeezing it silently, keeping her under control, physically and emotionally.

"It's what she wanted, Rose." Carlisle spoke gently, talking to Rosalie even though his eyes were still fixed on Esme's turned back. "If she hated me enough to kill me, then so be it. I could never live with the knowledge that she didn't want me that... passionately – that keenly."

Slowly, as he spoke, Esme straightened up and turned back to face her – however much she wished it was otherwise – husband. Her eyes were, terrifyingly, dead, and as she spoke, her voice was just as empty.

"Rosalie? Jasper?"

"Yes?" Rose spoke for both of them.

"Go back to the house."

"Esme-"

"Trust me, sweetheart. Please."

Jasper tugged on Rosalie's hand, pulling her unmoving form backwards until they reached the trees and dissolved into the darkness.

"Carlisle?" In contrast to her previous flatness, Esme's tone could now have made boulders weep with anguish, and as she fell to her knees, her caramel hair thankfully hiding her face or Carlisle might have begged for death there and then just out of pure, unadulterated guilt.

"Yes?" His body seemed to have locked itself into immobility – he neither had the strength or the knowledge of how to move it; had no idea how to cross the small space between them and take her into his arms, to press his lips to her head and hold her as she cried. He didn't know how to comfort her.

"Will you promise me something?"

"Anything." His voice was no louder than a breath of wind, but it didn't matter.

"Promise me you don't love her." As she spoke, her head snapped up to look at her, such fierce desperation burning in her eyes as she willed him to speak the truth, that Carlisle's breath was taken clean away. Her voice was low, choked and acute with pain; and for the long moment that they stared at each other for, it was all he could hear, echoing again and again in his ears, deafening him.

"Promise me." A whisper, this time, but, if possible, even more desperate. "Carlisle, promise me, promise me, please. Please. Carlisle..."

As he let each moment die, he could see the light that was causing her eyes to burn with such intensity flicker and fade. The seconds ticked away, and still the hilltop was silent.

"Please." Her lips moved, but no sound came out. Carlisle knew that this was his last, his only chance to make things right again – not just between them, but to repair his shattering family.

"Esme... listen to me... please. If you'll let me... I'll explain. I'll explain everything to you, everything, just let me finish. And then you can do what you like to me."

He waited, and she nodded; her eyes weren't dead yet – there was a single spark left, but he knew it would only take one word, one slip, one awkwardly phrased sentence for her to be lost to him forever.

"Esme... you know Samantha was Aro's minion?" He waited and she said nothing. "Of course you do," he mumbled, looking down at his hands, twisting the simple gold band on the third finger of his left hand round and round, still continuing the simple, poignant action as he looked back up again. "She told you we met hunting – that's not true. Aro sent her to the hospital – she's thousands of years old, and has been with the Volturi form the start. That's how she can control herself so well. But still... that doesn't excuse what I did; I want you to understand though, sweetheart, so you can make an informed judgement." He took a deep, steadying, unnecessary breath – a leftover human habit. "Samantha – she... seduced me, and as much as I hate, _detest, _that word, there's no other for it." He paused. "I won't go into detail – the memory's... I abhor them, and they'll do no good to put into words. But sweetheart... my darling, precious Esme... sweetheart, I never loved her, never. It was only ever you – from the moment I first laid eyes on you, there's been no one else except you and I will swear it on whatever you want, in front of who you like, that I'm speaking the truth."

"You don't love her?" Esme's voice was like a ray of sunlight to Carlisle – her voice almost visibly left golden sparkles in the air as she spoke; her words were golden wind chimes.

"Never, darling. Never."

Esme stood still, silent, like the finest of porcelain figurines – delicate, fragile and beautiful beyond belief. A wind picked up and blew her unkempt hair into shining tendrils that whipped into shapes abover her head. Carlisle held out his arms in a gesture of surrender.

"If you still want to kill me, I don't blame you... and I won't stop you."

"No." Imperceptibly, she shook her head. "No, I... Carlisle... I don't know." Her shoulders flew up and down and her fingers dug into the sides of her face. "What you did, what you've done... Carlisle, from the first time I saw you, I knew I'd forgive you anything – _anything. _And that still stands, but... but the _trust, _Carlisle, is the _trust _still there? Because I don't know anymore – I just don't, I don't..."

"Esme."

Esme stopped her pacing and turned tortured eyes towards him, her hands still entwined in her hair from where she'd been tugging on it, in mental torment and waited.

"Do you still love me –no, wait, _can _you still love me?"

"I don't know." Her voice was just as quiet as his, but while his was because of tension, hers was out of true uncertainty. She truly did not know… at least, until Carlisle left his frozen stance, and took a hesitant step towards her, holding his arms open towards her; inviting, but not commanding.

"Esme?"

With a stifled cry, she collapsed into his arms – he caught her tightly and held her to him, whispering her name over and over as she began to sob on his shoulder, her arms like a vice around his neck as he clung to her, pressing his lips to her head again and again, breathing in her mysterious, complex, intoxicating scent like it was oxygen to a dying man.

"I love you," she wept, her shoulders shuddering as she lifted her head to look at him. "I do, I do, honestly I do – I never stopped, I know now, I just… oh God…"

"It doesn't matter now," he told her fiercely. "We'll work it out and I'll never, ever let you down again, I swear to you, I promise…"

"I couldn't live for the rest of eternity without you," she told him, shaking her head. "Knowing that I loved you, but to proud, too ashamed, too scared to go back to you… it would have killed me."

"Don't say that," he said roughly. "Don't ever say that – I've lost you once before. Not again, not ever."

"I'm not going anywhere," she assured him, her laugh sounding suspiciously like a sob. "And I'm sorry… I shouldn't have presumed-"

"But you were right," he interrupted, his face suddenly tight. "You presumed right."

"But I forgive you," she murmured, pushing back his hair and cupping his face with her delicate fingers, her wedding ring sparkling with renewed vitality. "So it's not an issue."

He closed his eyes and shook his head, wonder radiating from every inch of him. "I don't deserve you."

Esme couldn't be bothered to argue.

Her lips were busy doing better things.


End file.
